Bring Me To Life
by Priestess Aishisu
Summary: Bakura is brought back from the darkness, but still rests upon the pits of despair. Yami has less than a year to convince the white-haired Spirit that life is worth living. But with an evil force to fight, and confused dopplegangers from the past, can he?
1. “I can’t do it”

_How_ _can you see into my eyes  
Like_ _open_ _doors  
Leading_ _you down into my core  
Where_ _I've become so numb_

The energy of the Dark Magician blazed through the shadows, striking at the Duel Monster. The opponent's life-point count went down to zero, and he slipped to his knees, his breathing sounding painful and ragged. It was obvious that he hadn't been trying. The emptiness in his pale blue eyes throughout the duel was proof enough.

He had had many names over his three-thousand-five-hundred-year lifetime: Yami no Bakura, Kage, Nahkti, Spirit of the Millennium Ring, Touzoku Ou, Tomb-Robber, assorted insults, and about a million other things. He was now known simply as Bakura. Soon he would not have a name at all. Soon he would be dead.

Then again, he had been dead inside for a long time.

_Without_ _a_ _soul  
My_ _spirit sleeping somewhere cold  
Until_ _you_ _find_ _it there and lead  
It_ _back_ _home_

The man still standing—the man who had one—regarded the other man with an unreadable emotion in his eyes. He, too, had been known by many names—Yami no Yugi, Mou Hitori no Boku, Namonaki, Pharaoh, Bel um Fal, blah-blah-blah. He was now known by his 'true' name: Atemu.

The man before him had little resemblance to the mad spirit he had grown to despise, nor the evil Tomb-Robber he had always hated. He had not been fighting, Atemu knew this. Somehow, this made his victory feel like a travesty. He didn't know why. He had never cared before.

Actually, he did.

****_Wake_ _me up_****_  
Wake_ _me_ _up inside  
_****_I_ _can't_ _wake up_****_  
Wake_ _me up inside  
_****_Save_ _me_****  
_Call_ _my_ _name and_ _save me  
From the_ _dark_

"I wasn't always a 'good' guy," Atemu remarked aloud, hoping to spark some reaction from the broken man. He didn't even raise his head, but Atemu continued nevertheless.

"There was a point where I was sadistic enough to burn four men to death just so Yugi and his friends could have their place at a silly little fair. But I was always considered a hero. There was over a million chances for me to redeem my every crime—but there was never any chance for you." He smiled sadly. "It's funny, but...I almost pity you."

Even this sparked no reaction. Atemu realized he may as well deliver the punishment now. There was nothing left that could help Bakura now. He didn't even know why he wanted to, but he did.

_Bid_ _my_ _blood to run_  
_Before_ _I_ _come_ _undone_  
****_Save_ _me_****  
_Save_ _me_ _from_ _the_ _nothing_  
_I've_ _become_

"Bakura."

The authority and seriousness in his voice made Bakura glance up. There was no emotion in his face, only a haunted expression which tugged at the strings of Atemu's heart like few things had before. Nevertheless, he forced himself to speak with the same calm severity that had made Bakura pay attention when nothing else would.

"Bakura, I know of countless crimes that you have committed, and I have no doubt that there are many of which I am unaware. Yet you have always escaped the Shadow Realm and any other punishment that might be enacted. Death would be a merciful but necessary sentence, but you and I both know you will not stay dead unless you wish to. I need to hear from your mouth that you accept your sentence."

_Bring_ _me_ _to life  
Bring_ _me_ _to_ _life_

He was trembling slightly, but there was no fear in his eyes. So he continued, even though he had the strangest sensation that in saying the words he was stabbing himself. "Bakura, do you accept the punishment of death?"

Bakura's lips parted, but no words escaped them. He licked them, and Atemu noticed that they were swollen and scarred. His voice was dry and quiet, but there was as much finality in his tone as there was in the word itself.

"Yes."

_Now_ _that_ _I know_ _what_ _I'm without  
You_ _can't just leave me  
Breathe_ _into me and make_ _me_ _real  
Bring_ _me_ _to life_

There. He had said it, and Atemu knew he meant it. He remembered Bakura's anguish when he discovered that it was Necrophadisu, not Akunamukanon, who had destroyed his village. He recalled his own sadness when he discovered the true reason Bakura despised him, and realized that he had been manipulated and lied to all along.

If Atemu killed him now, Bakura would die and stay dead. But even as he knew this fact, he knew another:

He couldn't do it.

****_Wake_ _me up_****_  
Wake_ _me_ _up inside  
_****_I_ _can't_ _wake up_****_  
Wake_ _me up inside  
_****_Save_ _me_****  
_Call_ _my_ _name and_ _save me  
From the_ _dark_

So Atemu stood, torn between his heart and his duty. He didn't want to kill Bakura. He would never forgive himself if he killed Bakura. If he didn't kill Bakura, he would never be able to live it down.

_Is this what it comes down to?_ Atemu wondered, feeling uncertain and confused. _What I think, or what others think? What can I do? My friends...they're all expecting me to get rid of him! That was why they told me to fight him! Yugi...Jonouchi...Honda...Mai...Ryuuji...Anzu...I can't just let them all down, can I? But if I kill him,_ _I'll hate myself forever._

He gazed at Bakura, trying to think, trying to calm down, trying to figure out his tumultuous feelings. The King of Thieves was watching him unwaveringly, still on his knees, waiting to die. _What can I do?_

_Bid_ _my_ _blood to run_  
_Before_ _I_ _come_ _undone_  
****_Save_ _me_****  
_Save_ _me_ _from_ _the_ _nothing_  
_I've_ _become_

Bakura watched Atemu, not understanding his hesitation. Had he thought he was lying?

Bakura smiled bitterly. He wanted to die. The only people who cared about him were dead, the only people who would help him had been done away by cruel time. All he had done was suffer and cause suffering.

It was time to say farewell.

_Bring_ _me_ _to life  
I've_ _been_ _living a lie  
There's_ _nothing inside  
Bring_ _me_ _to_ _life_

He wasn't saying anything, Atemu noticed as he walked closer. He had said one word this entire time, the word that should have sealed his fate.

This was Atemu's fault, not Bakura's. He couldn't even blame Necrophadisu for this battle. His friends had been the ones who insisted he finish this once and for all, while Bakura was vulnerable, but he had agreed. _Vulnerable..._fighting him at this time had been taking advantage of Bakura and his devastation. And then he knew.

"I can't," Atemu whispered. Then, louder. "I can't."

_Frozen_ _inside  
Without_ _your love,_ _without_ _your_ _touch  
Darling,_ _only_ _you are the life  
Among the dead_

Bakura's head snapped up. He opened his mouth as if to protest, but he was much too tired to utter a word. He seemed so fragile, a haggard image made of glass.

"I can't do it, Bakura," Atemu said seriously, feeling as if a giant weight had been removed from his shoulders. "Fighting you like this was cruelty, pure and simple. And to kill you now would be a crime worse than any you could ever commit."

_All_ _of this_ _time  
I_ _can't_ _believe I couldn't see  
Lost_ _in the dark  
But_ _you_ _were_ _there_ _in_ _front of me_

Bakura blinked at him, stunned. Had his hearing been damaged as well, or had Atemu just said that he wouldn't kill him because he felt that it was cruelty? Was this supposed to be a cruel joke?

No, Atemu's expression wasn't that of somebody who was joking. "What if I asked you do?" His voice was a mere whisper, his throat felt raw. His lips were too dry. "I'm not too proud to beg...not anymore."

"I can't do it," Atemu repeated. "I won't."

_I've_ _been sleeping  
A_ _thousand_ _years it seems  
Got_ _to open my eyes  
To_ _everything_

"Then what are you going to do?" he whispered harshly. "There isn't any hope left for me. If you don't kill me now I'll just try to kill you again. I've fallen too far to come back now."

"That isn't true," Atemu argued stubbornly. He was standing right above Bakura now, so close that Bakura could smell him. "I can show you that life is worth living. I can help you...if you let me." He held out a hand. "Do you trust me?"

_Without_ _a_ _thought  
Without_ _a_ _voice  
Without_ _a_ _soul_

Everything suddenly felt too overwhelming. Bakura could sense the darkness closing in. If Atemu didn't kill him soon, he would be lost to the shadows. "You don't understand! It's too late for me! I can feel the shadows coming for me—if you don't kill me now..." he trailed off, afraid to continue.

Atemu couldn't feel them. He didn't hear every soul Bakura had ever wronged screaming for redemption. All Bakura wanted was peace...an emotion he had never been lucky enough to experience.

"There isn't much time! If you want to help me, you'll kill me **now."**

_Don't_ _let_ _me_ _die in here  
There_ _must be something more  
Bring_ _me_ _to life  
Bring_ _me_ _to_ _life_

Bakura was trembling. More than anything, he wanted what Atemu's words promised, but it was too late. There wasn't any time left. He looked up pleadingly, hoping to convince him that his words weren't merely an idle threat. Their eyes met.

Bakura was startled by what he saw in Atemu's eyes. Sympathy, compassion, understanding, tenderness...feelings no one had ever shown towards him before. For the first time he believed him. Maybe it was just a foolish hope, but he desperately wanted to believe that Atemu could help him.

****_Wake_ _me up_****_  
Wake_ _me_ _up inside  
_****_I_ _can't_ _wake up_****_  
Wake_ _me up inside  
_****_Save_ _me_****  
_Call_ _my_ _name and_ _save me  
From the_ _dark_

Bakura reached up, taking Atemu's hand. Atemu helped him up and suddenly gold light blazed around him. Bakura gasped sharply, hurt both physically and mentally. It was a long, excruciating process. He could feel his soul shatter, feel bits and pieces of himself be sucked away until there was nothing left.

With a final, shuddering breath, he slumped against Atemu.

_Bid_ _my_ _blood to run_  
_Before_ _I_ _come_ _undone_  
****_Save_ _me_****  
_Save_ _me_ _from_ _the_ _nothing_  
_I've_ _become_

Atemu held the limp body tightly as the souls fed on what he had broken and expelled. All of Bakura's pains, all of his memories, every shred of evil in his soul. He hoped he had done the right thing.

Pressing a hand against Bakura's neck, he felt a tiny spark of a soul left. So much of his humanity had been eaten away by pain and darkness, hatred and evil. If he lived, he would be a broken soul without hopes or dreams memories.

But Atemu would change that.

_Bring_ _me_ _to life  
I've_ _been_ _living a lie  
There's_ _nothing inside  
Bring_ _me_ _to_ _life_


	2. The Right Choice

Priestess Aishisu: This is going to be a problem. The author note, I mean. The reason is obvious: this is being written on two different sites, and I have two different pen names. However, I think I can get over that and still write it correctly. I would like to thank my reviewers, even though I only got six reviews between the two sites. You are ahead by four reviews.  
To understand why the yamis and hikaris are separated (and why Mariku's alive) read Chapter Six of my Mediaminer fanfiction Pharaoh Bakura and Thief Atemu. Or email me, and I can give you the information you need (the chapter's pretty long, since it wraps everything up.) I probably won't explain it for a few more chapters.

* * *

It had started to rain, and Yugi was beginning to get worried. None of the hikaris had wanted the final battle between Atemu and Bakura to happen, and this puzzled everybody except Isis and Malik. Ryou himself admitted to being rather confused. He said it was just a feeling that Bakura wasn't all that bad. However, more than half (actually, just about all) of Yugi's friends had unsurprisingly dismissed this belief as bullshit. 

"What is taking so long?!" Katsuya Jonouchi (also known as Joey Wheeler, hereon called Jou) finally exploded. "The Spirit of the Millennium Ring couldn't have put up that much of a fight in his state, you saw him!"

"The mutt is right for the first time in his life," remarked Seto Kaiba (no alias, hereon just Kaiba.) He turned to the Ishtals. "You three seem to know everything, why is it taking so long for the great Pharaoh to defeat him?"

Malik and Isis were too focused on the emotions anything else their psychic senses were able to pick up to hear him, but Mariku (Yami Malik) of all people replied. "The Pharaoh defeated Bakura a few minutes ago. Now he has a decision to make, and he must make it quickly. Angry spirits are clamoring to devour Bakura's soul. It seems they too realized sensed that this duel would be the last, and they want revenge."

"Decision?" Jou repeated, predictably and rather justifiably bewildered. "What kind of decision? I thought we agreed that he would kill him once and for all, I mean that was what At—Ate—the Spirit of the Millennium Puzzle wanted—"

Fed up, Yugi whirled on Jou and shouted, "What Atemu wanted? Atemu never even wanted this **duel!"** Every head turned towards Yugi. The Ishtals' eyes widened ever so slightly for a mere moment, but no one would have noticed even if it were perceptible. The reason was evident—Yugi wasn't finished yet.

"How could he have wanted this? I don't know what Kaiba-kun, the Spirits, and the Ishtals saw in there, but Bakura was in no condition to fight! After fighting for over three thousand five hundred years, do you really think Atemu wanted it to end like that? When Bakura wasn't even fighting? Anzu-san, Honda-kun, and Jonouchi-kun made him! Atemu can't bear to disappoint anybody, but if he kills Bakura now he'll be disappointing himself!"

His friends were almost palpably taken aback, the Kaiba brothers appeared stunned, and the Ishtals...they seemed pleased. Yugi was immediately remorseful, and began to apologize, but changed his mind—why should he apologize for telling what he knew to be truth?—and finished with certainty. "If what Atemu wants is to make the right choice for _him,_ he'll let Bakura live. Even if it ends up putting us all in danger."

"He has made his choice already," Mariku announced when Yugi finished, since it was obvious Isis and Malik weren't about to. His lips curled into a satisfied smile. No one could tell if this was good or bad.

"What was the choice?" asked ever-suspicious Kaiba, who had finally become a believer in magic about four or five hours ago and was now determined to learn anything and everything he possibly could. "Did he let him live or kill him?"

"It's than that," Isis replied, ambiguously as ever. "But I certainly hope they can hurry up. It was never this cold in Egypt, and it didn't rain this much either." Malik and Mariku nodded in agreement.

"Complicated how?" cried Ryuuji Otogi (a.k.a Duke Devlin, heron Ryuuji) "Is he alive or isn't he?"

The Ishtals seemed to ponder this question, and at last Malik replied, "It's like when he purified Kaiba by shattering his heart, but...more so." Everybody gazed at him in bewilderment, and Isis explained.

"As Mariku mentioned, lost spirits were clamoring for Bakura's soul. What Atemu did was rip out all the evil and anguish in his soul, and the spirits devoured it. But it seems there was still humanity in Bakura—now we just need to see if it's enough humanity that he will live."

"Or at least that's what we sensed," added Malik, as if they might have been wrong!

* * *

The spirits eventually dispersed, finally satiated with the vast amounts anguish and evil they had eaten. Atemu cradled a nearly lifeless body, his mind riddled with doubts. What would his friends say? What would a purified, almost lifeless Bakura be like? What now? All this and more ran through his head as he waited for the last spirits to gobble up whatever remained and leave. Hopefully now Bakura's victims could finally rest in peace. 

He gazed down at Bakura's face. But it wasn't really his face. The expression was at last peaceful, unmarred by madness or anger or glee or pain or despair. And just like that, his spirits lifted and his doubts vanished.

_I'll find a way,_ he decided. _I always do._

* * *

They waited for about thirty minutes, and Mariku finally lost his temper. (At least 41% of them had by now, excluding only the hikaris—Malik isn't technically a hikari—the Kaiba brothers and the other two Ishtals) "What is taking so long?! The spirits must be satiated by now! If they aren't here in eight seconds, somebody's dying!" 

Everybody edged away nervously, but a familiar voice said, "Relax, Mariku. You don't have to kill anybody."

"Finally," Hirotoi Honda (alias Tristan Taylor, hereby known as Honda—why does he have the name of a car? Why, I ask you!) muttered, then his jaw dropped and he blinked in disbelief. In spite of what the Ishtals had said, most of them were surprised when Atemu appeared with an unconscious Bakura in his arms. Both of them were drenched by the rain, Bakura's hair seemed to be a miniature white waterfall. But in spite of this Atemu seemed almost...peaceful. Content...

For a moment no one spoke, then Yugi ventured softly..."Is he...alive?"

"He is for now," Atemu muttered, glancing down at Bakura's unmoving body. He glanced at the Ishtals' impassive expressions, Kaiba's mildly surprised one, Ryou and Yugi's almost relieved ones, and everybody else's stunned and bewildered ones. His own expression was just as impassive. Though few people had noticed before, everybody with a past life (Kaiba, Isis, Bakura, and Atemu) had undergone some slight changes during their little trip only a few hours—a lifetime—ago.

Atemu: His hair was a bit fancier (see any pictures of his Pharaoh self, or review me with a request and I'll email it to you), he had a tiny scar on his cheek (same), and he was quite a bit taller (he had reached Kaiba's waist before, and now reached his shoulder)  
Bakura: He had a tan, was Kaiba's height, and he had three intersecting scars on his cheek like a double-slashed cross (see any pictures of his Tomb-Robber self, or review me with a request and I'll email it to you) and this was more noticeable now since his other injuries had vanished when Atemu ripped out the evil part of his soul  
Isis: She had grown three inches, and was now an inch taller than Mariku  
Kaiba: He was an inch taller 

Anyway..."I don't get it," said Anzu Makazi (also known as Téa Gardner, hereon just Anzu). "Why did you let him live. I mean, Yugi tried to explain, but I didn't get it." Yugi scowled and Kaiba slapped his forehead, but Atemu didn't react in the least.

Finally Kaiba snapped, "Look, I'm sure everybody has a million and three questions, but can we at least discuss it somewhere _dry?"_ Murmurs of agreement mingled with the sound of falling raindrops, and Isis raised her arms. Her fingertips tingled, and ancient mystical energies slowly curled out to engulf them all.

* * *

"All right," said Kaiba, signing something Isis had insisted to—a form that promised he couldn't sue no matter what damage Mariku caused. "The 'yamis' will stay here, Malik will stay with Ryou, and Isis has her room in the museum. The Millennium Items are twelve feet underground if they still exist at all, but we do have some newfound powers as well as some older ones. We need to figure out all we can about Necrophadisu if we're going to fight him, and our memories of the past aren't enough. Isis, Malik, if either of you find out anything, you have to tell me immediately." 

Atemu hated to admit it, but he was rather impressed by the way Kaiba was taking charge. He who had just a few months ago (before he discovered the un-ignorable power of manipulating electricity) believed magic was superstitious bullshit, but he certainly wasn't acting like it. Only he, Kaiba, and the Ishtals were in the living room (well, Bakura was there, lying on the couch, but he was still unconscious), and they could hear scrabbling outside as the others tried to listen in (unfortunately for them, the room was sound-proof).

Kaiba turned to Atemu. "According to the Ishtals, Bakura only has a fragment of a soul left—thanks to you, I would like to mention. We can't defeat the King of Darkness if the Prince of Darkness—maybe the former Prince of Darkness—only has a fragment of a soul left. You have the responsibility of making that fragment a full soul without turning him evil again."

"One–Who put you in charge? I thought I was the Pharaoh! Two–I was planning to do that anyway."

"Umm...all right," muttered Kaiba, rolling his eyes as if he couldn't care less (which was probably true.) "We also need to figure out if he still has his powers, or if that vanished with his evil. Any questions?"

"Yeah, and I already said it," snapped Atemu, but inside his head was churning wildly. Too many thoughts and plans...he couldn't think strait! But he was aware of a feeling of elation—this could work after all.

* * *

Bakura moaned softly, his head spinning as he forced his eyes open. _Where am I? What happened?_ He wondered, his thoughts feeling blurred. He couldn't recognize his surroundings by looking at a ceiling, but it was too much of an effort to move. 

"Well, well, well, look who's finally awake. You've been asleep for a day."

Bakura snapped up, recognizing the voice, but immediately moaned and slumped back against the couch he had been lying on. "Pharaoh?" His voice sounded weak, but it was his voice. "What..."

"Don't call me that. I have a name, you know."

Bakura tried to clear his head by shaking it, but it didn't help. His memories seemed murky, hidden by a mist of dizziness, but he recalled their final battle. Those spirits had been clamoring for his soul, and the Pharaoh...Atemu...He had offered to help him, but then he had ripped his soul out for the spirits to eat...

Hadn't he?

Atemu watched Bakura, and from the look in his eyes Bakura could immediately tell he understood his puzzlement. "Did you think I was lying when I said I wanted to help you? In a way, you were right when you said you were too far gone. But not all of you was. The spirits ate the evil and pain inside you, and there must have been something else. Or you wouldn't be here right now."

"And that would be a bad thing?" Bakura asked softly. It was true, it was a relief not to feel evil or pain anymore—but he still felt empty. He shut his eyes weakly. "Ph–Atemu...Not that I don't appreciate your trying to help or anything, but it's no use. Whatever emotions you want to help me feel I've either never felt or forgot how to feel when I was eight—3521 years ago. That long and a day if I've been sleeping for a day. Like I said before—the only way to help me is to kill me."

Atemu pursed his lips, trying to think. He had expected Bakura to be stubborn, but had decided to try a compromise—if he could just think of one. "How's this? Just give me one year—well, one year starting yesterday since it's such a significant day. At the end of the year, you can decide if you still want me to kill you. If you do, I will. Do we have a deal?"

Bakura shook his head, unable to put the absurdity of his ridiculous suggestion in words. But he almost admired that courage—one year to undo the work of thousands. He had thought he was the only one that audacious. He groaned loudly. "I'm going to regret this," he muttered ruefully. "I just** know** I'm going to regret this.

Atemu beamed. "Then you agree?"

"Fine, yes, sure, all right, whatever, why not?" Bakura muttered hazily, turning over on his side so that he was unable to see Atemu's face and vice-versa. "Now go away and let me sleep."


	3. “What’s going on?”

Priestess Aishisu: If you know me, you'll understand that in most of my Yu-Gi-Oh fanfictions I tend to include time-travel of some sort. This is one of them (but I'm sure you realized that, since it's the only reason I would be mentioning that.

Present Kaiba(or future, if you go by the show, even though this is based on manga)=Kaiba  
Past Kaiba(or present, if you go by the show, even though this is based on manga)=Seto  
Both will be called Kaiba by other characters

Present Bakura(or future, if you go by the show, even though this is based on manga)=Bakura, and will be called Bakura by other characters  
Past Bakura(or present, if you go by the show, even though this is based on manga)=Kage, and will be called…depends on whose speaking

Present Atemu(or future, if you go by the show, even though this is based on manga)=Atemu, and will be called Atemu  
Past Atemu(or present, if you go by the show, even though this is based on manga)=Yu-Gi-Oh, but most people will call him Yugi or Pharaoh

Present Mariku(or future, if you go by the show, even though this is based on manga)=you guessed it, Mariku  
Past Mariku(or present, if you go by the show, even though this is based on manga)=Yami Malik, but most people just call him Malik

* * *

Seto blinked as he, Yami Malik, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Kage appeared in the middle of the mall.

"What the—?" Yami Malik yelped. He blinked at the three people next to him. "We were dueling!" he said to Yu-Gi-Oh. "And you were dead!" he shouted at Kage. Yu-Gi-Oh and Seto turned to him, and he smirked.

"Did you think I was kidding when I said I'd live?" he sneered. "Of course you did. If I've said it once I've said it a million times—all right, forget about that," he said suddenly, unexpectedly. "Where are we—and more importantly, _when_ are we?"

**"When?!"** Yami Malik repeated, as Seto simultaneously replied, "We're at a clothing store in the mall, duh."

"Yes, when," said Kage, disregarding Seto. "Wherever we are, Battle City is either over hasn't happened yet. And I definitely sense all of you here." He also sensed himself, but just a fragment of a soul. He guessed (incorrectly) that it was the bit of himself in the Millennium Puzzle, but he couldn't let them know about that! Strangely, though, he didn't sense any Millennium Items…

"That is the craziest thing I've ever heard!" Seto cried. "I swear, you superstitious freaks and your Millennium Items and crap—you realize that you're all schizophrenic, right?"

"Umm…No…" Kage replied. "I don't even know what that means."

* * *

"Why are we here again?" Bakura asked, holding up a cream-white sweater in the mirror. _Ugh_…_Ryou's fashion sense is rubbing off on me. _"Our light sides sent plenty of clothing. And bluntly put, I don't give a damn what I look like."

Atemu chuckled softly. "I'm sure you don't, but both of us are much taller than our hikaris at this point. The shirts still fit, but the pants won't." He held up two pairs of pants. "Which one of these would look better on me?"

Bakura blinked. "You have a leather fetish, don't you?" His lips twitched in spite of himself at Atemu's scowl. "It's all right, leather makes you look hot. That one, by the way." Then he turned and returned to shuffling through clothes as though he hadn't said a thing.

* * *

"Wow! Lookit this shiny thing! You can see yourself in it!" cried Yami Malik, pointing at a huge mirror. He did several poses until Kage shoved him aside to look at his reflection (which was stupid, since it was the size of a wall)

"Hmm…note to self, no more pushed-up sleeves," he murmured. "I have to learn how to use this magic."

"You're preening," Yu-Gi-Oh accused, trying and failing to pull Kage away from the gigantic wall-sized mirror. "You egotistical jerk, don't you realize those things will suck out your soul?"

"You're just jealous because _I'm_ beautiful and **you're** just a midget with a leather fetish," Bakura sneered, not flinching when Yu-Gi-Oh grabbed him by the collar and pulled back his fist to punch him.

From a few feet off, Seto slapped his forehead. Turning to them, he said, "If anyone asks, I don't know any of you!" Then he turned and walked a few more feet, inspecting a pair of pants. _About an inch too long,_ he mused, then suddenly heard two familiar voices. He hunched down, peered through, and reeled back. "Come on, you have to see this!"

* * *

"You should buy the black pair with the silver ankhs on the ankle," Mariku instructed gruffly, studying a pair of khaki cargo pants. "The blue pair is just wrong on you, it's way too loose for your style."

"How would you know?" Kaiba replied, but he held up the pants in front of the mirror and scrutinized his reflection. "All right, fine. It looks great," he said, trying (successfully) to sound as if he didn't give a damn. But Mariku heard him mutter as he put it in the bag, "If somebody told be back in Battle City that the psychopath I was trying to defeat would be giving me fashion advice I would think they were crazy…"

He glanced up. "Speaking of crazy, where are the other two psychopathic Egyptian spirits?"

Mariku shook his head. "Why must you continuously insult me by grouping me with the Pharaoh and a lunatic? And I would like to point out that they would also be insulted by you putting the three of us in a group."

"Where are they?"

"What am I, their keeper?" snapped Mariku. "I don't know where they are!" Suddenly both of their eyes widened, Mariku's in delight and Kaiba's in fear, as they considered what could be the consequences of **those two** loose in a mall.

"You idiot!" cried Kaiba. "We have to find them before they destroy the mall!"

"Why?" Mariku asked, truly curious.

"Just come on," Kaiba snapped, grabbing his arm.

* * *

Bakura tilted his head as he studied his reflection, holding up the black-and-blue striped shirt to see how it might look on him. At last he crinkled his nose, shaking his head. "I think it makes me look fat," he muttered disdainfully.

Just as he was putting the shirt back on the rack, Kaiba and Mariku burst through the rack of clothing and did some over-exaggerated karate moves. They both had clothes hanging from them—including lingerie.

**Female** lingerie.

Bakura and Atemu stared at them, glanced at each other, and burst out laughing. Kaiba and Mariku glanced at each other, then down at themselves. With an earsplitting girly shriek, Mariku stripped of the excess clothing. This only made Bakura and Atemu laugh harder.

"Ha-ha, very funny," muttered Kaiba sarcastically, brushing off any lint that might have stuck to him from the clothes. He picked up the bag containing the clothes which he and Mariku wanted to buy.

"As amusing as this is…"

Atemu, Bakura, Kaiba, and Mariku stiffened. They (Kaiba and Mariku, Bakura and Atemu were already facing the right direction) turned very slowly as Kage, Seto, Yami Malik, and Yu-Gi-Oh stepped from behind the rack.

"We'd really like to know what's going on."


	4. The Best Birthday Ever

Priestess Aishisu: Three reviews? Is that it? Aw, man…

**Amarin Rose: Slightly confusin, considering that on , this story is called Unbreak My Heart -- but here, the story by that name is Gundam Wing. **

And why do the past spirits know so much about the future? Why is Mariku not considered evil like Bakura? 

Anyway, enjoyable read, and I like the Bakura/Yami pairing. Continue soon, please! 

_Priestess Aishisu: Of course he's considered evil! Who said he wasn't considered evil? And I called the Mediaminer one 'Unbreak My Heart' because my Mediaminer profile already had a story called 'Bring Me To Life.' And they don't know much! Bakura/Kage is just psychic. _

**WolfKeeper989: Good story **

_Priestess Aishisu: Thanks_…

**Jade Cade: lol..I always knew Mariku had a hint of female in him. please update soon.. **

_Priestess Aishisu: Yeah, well, I couldn't resist. Kaiba just didn't seem the type, after all_…

Priestess Aishisu: Once this is over, I'm planning on writing a fanfiction called '_Secrets of Kuru Eruna'_ which will explain exactly how they found out about the Necrophadisu thing and how the yamis and hikaris switched places and all of that stuff. So for those people out there who want to know in detail what Kuru Eruna is and such, be patient.

«§¥§»

"Let me get this strait…Just as the Spirit of the Millennium Ring said, we somehow time-traveled here. Not only do you have no idea as to why or how, but you have no idea how to get us back," Yu-Gi-Oh said, somewhere between irked and disbelieving and in awe. "Is that about right?"

Kaiba nodded. No one else replied. Bakura was gazing out the window. Kage seemed to be watching him intently, obviously wondering what was going on, and Atemu was worried about that. Kage had to be quite cunning to be the King of Thieves, and the last thing he needed was **two** Bakuras in the state _their_ Bakura was in—or worse.

"And both the Millennium Item Spirits look different," Yami Malik remarked. They were in Kaiba's living room, sitting on couches, the future selves facing their past selves. "And I mean _besides_ the fact that the Pharaoh is at least like a foot taller."

"Six inches."

"Whatever. Why is it?"

No one replied. Kage noticed Atemu glance at Bakura, who didn't seem to react. His chocolate-brown eyes narrowed slightly. They looked different, it was true. But more than physical appearance, all four of them seemed to have been emotionally affected by something or another. Bakura most of all. He _knew_ he didn't act like that.

"Are you saying I'm going to be one of you freaks?" Seto asked.

"Unfortunately," replied Kaiba. He allowed himself a small sigh and the tiniest, sheepish smile. "But then, I didn't really have that much choice in the matter."

"How so?" Seto asked, skeptical. He still was convinced this was a dream, or in some other way not real. But rest assured that this was just typical Seto denial, so none of you should worry about it.

Kaiba didn't reply. Instead, he glanced at Bakura like Atemu kept doing—though he didn't seem quite as anxious as Atemu did, just the _tiniest_ bit concerned.

Though for him that was a lot.

Turning back to the past beings or whatever you want to call them, he lifted his palm and closed it into a fist. Seto blinked, as did Yu-Gi-Oh, and all four of the PBWYWCT (Past Beings or Whatever You Want to Call Them) leaned forward curiously.

Was it their imagination, or could they see slight shimmers in the cracks between his fingers?

All four of them gasped when he opened his hand. Glittering sparks of silvery lightning played in his open palm, leaping from finger to finger to form a sparkling disk. He curved his fingers inwards into a half-fist, and the circle became a flashing ball of rippling white fire. He closed his fist, and the lightning vanished.

"That and I was going to die, but mostly that," he said calmly, as if he hadn't just conjured up lightning and held it in his palm. "I have some other powers, but it's the lightning that couldn't be ignored, especially when I started sprouting it whenever I was even the slightest bit upset."

"Y–You…I…How…?" stuttered Seto. "Did you just…how did you…?" he trailed off, looking as if he were about to pass out. Yami Malik stared, Yu-Gi-Oh seemed stunned, and Kage was almost entirely unaffected.

"Can everybody else do that?" Yu-Gi-Oh asked after a long silence during which the future/present beings seemed to be understandably bored out of their minds (well, Bakura was still staring out the window)

"Malik can shoot gold fire…I don't know about anybody else."

"I can?" Yami Malik asked, and Kaiba shook his head.

"The light halves and dark halves split a couple days ago. I guess we should have been more surprised about that, but really we only had a minute or two to feel anything before…" he froze, realizing that he might say too much. Atemu was glaring at him, and the PBWYWCT all seemed to be listening intently. "Long story. Anyway, no, you can't."

The PBWYWCT exchanged glances. Now they _knew_ they were missing something.

«§¥§»

"Happy birthday!"

Bakura jumped about twenty feet when he entered the room. Atemu, Isis, Kaiba, Malik, Mariku, Mokuba, Ryou, and Yugi were standing in the middle of a decorated room; looking at him.

_So **that's** why Kaiba sent all our past_ _selves to Downtown_ _Domino looking for an address that didn't exist,_ he mused, eyebrows lifted.

"I'm not sure if you know, but I don't really celebrate my birthday too often," he informed them, finding himself sitting at a table.

"Shut up and eat cake," Kaiba retorted, putting down an absolutely gigantic cake (no candles, of course) with…Bakura stared.

"How in the world…?" he murmured, tracing the outline of one of his eyes. Black frosting got on his fingers, and he licked it off . Delicious.

"Apparently 'Yu-Gi-Oh' is this big TV show in a lot of countries, including Japan. Not Domino, but I can go to the other side of the country pretty easily."

"Just out of curiosity, why are you eight doing all of this for me?" he asked as Kaiba stood up and left the room.

"Most of us because we want you to be happy, me because I want an excuse to eat cake," Mariku replied, expression carefully impassive.

He wasn't fooling anyone.

"Here," said Mariku, giving him what seemed to be a CD. Bakura unwrapped the dark blue paper with silver leaves (probably stolen from Kaiba) and gaped at it. It was all the Evanescence songs ever made, including ones that were never released.

"How did you get this?"

"With Kaiba's computer, of course."

Ryou then gave him a gigantic painting kit. Bakura was surprised that Ryou knew how much he loved painting, but then they _had_ shared a body.

Kaiba, who had reappeared with about three gallons of mint chocolate chip ice cream, gave him a laptop—no surprise there. The fact that it was the most amazing laptop he had ever seen, and the reason (Kaiba had made it himself) was, however, rather surprising.

"Where did Atemu go?" he asked suddenly.

"Probably to get his present," Yugi replied, giving him a diary—the most beautiful diary he had ever seen, with marbled pages and a black leather cover stamped with silver leaves. There was a small poem at the top of every entry—but, upon closer inspection, the poems all seemed to be snippets of songs.

"Me and Isis only got one gift," said Malik. "But that's because we've spent all the time since you four returned to Japan looking for this so there wasn't time."

"It might make you sad now, but we know you'll love it someday," Isis added, handing him a small velvet pouch stitched with ancient symbols he recognized from somewhere. "The pouch will hold any item you need which can fit in it as long as you never shut it while it's empty, but the true gift we put in ourselves."

Bakura opened it and his jaw dropped.

His fingers trembled as he extracted a blue stone the exact hue of his eyes, perfectly round and almost humming with power.

A complex web of ancient spells only he could see—not to mention only he could decipher—glowed upon its lovely surface. But it was not the power or the beauty which made this item so precious to him.

"My mother's amulet…"

It had been the most valuable item in Kuru Eruna, he remembered. He wasn't certain what it did, but as he closed his fingers over it energy surged through him. The tiny spark of soul he still had swelled, filling his body. A delicious warmth spread through him, and he could almost hear his mother's singing.

_My **soul!**_ He realized, pressing a hand against his broken heart. He could feel it beating wildly in his chest. _It's whole, but it isn't_…_it isn't like before! _

Malik and Isis had, without realizing it, just done half of Atemu's job for him. Bakura had a soul again, instead of a scrap of one. Anything spiritual was finished—he was alive.

Now all Atemu had to do was pick up the shards of his heart and put them back together again, and—though it would be almost impossible—for the first time Bakura felt as if he might actually have a chance at doing it.

"I…" Bakura swallowed a lump in his throat. "I love it already. Thank you."

He put the stone back in the pouch and tied it around his neck with a silver thread, tucking it under his shirt—the pouch obediently became the size of his toenail. He could feel a pulsing in it, and he almost smiled. It was beating like a heart—a heart that wasn't broken.

Since Atemu wasn't there yet, he sampled the ice cream and smothered a moan—it was perfect, luscious and creamy and loaded with just the right amount of rich chocolate.

"Hey, don't I get to give you my present before you eat?" Atemu asked, and they all looked up. "It took me forever to find it."

Bakura's jaw dropped. Curled up in Atemu's arms was a panther kitten barely the size of his head—an _albino_ panther kitten, white as the moon with eyes the color of Atemu's. They were rare enough in the **world,** much less Japan.

The moment Atemu put it on the table, it started jumping around. "It's a she," said Atemu as Isis used her powers to levitate everything on the table. "I named it Bast, after the Egyptian cat goddess of the moon and love, but you can change it if you want."

Was he kidding?

Bast was sniffing around, nipping at everything with her tiny white fangs. She was the most adorable thing any of them had ever seen.

Bakura smiled in spite of himself and picked her up. She nuzzled his cheek, purring as he looked around at the eight faces on the table.

Some of those faces he hardly knew. Most of those faces he had learned to hate. All of those faces looked back at him with emotions he wasn't used to people feeling towards him.

And then he knew.

They were his friends. Each and every one of them. Even Mariku.

"Thank you," he said softly. "This was the best birthday ever."


End file.
